Rumors Don't Fret Nazareth's Fogel

December 05, 1985|by DAN SHOPE, The Morning Call

When the football, boys' basketball and baseball head coaches resigned at Nazareth High during the past year, rumors circulated that something was drastically wrong with the Blue Eagles' athletics program.

Were parents pressuring too hard? Was the administration unsupportive? Or were the three resignations pure coincidence?

The answers have never totally been answered. But the results have spoken for themselves.

Recently, new football coach Dick Ortwein led the Eagles to an 8-2 record and a Colonial League title. And now Rod Fogel will show his expertise with the basketball team.

During an interview last week, Fogel said he wasn't worried about the rumors surrounding Nazareth sports. And why should he have been? The 38-year- old art education teacher had been an assistant under former head coaches Gary Thorne, Barry Boyer, Dan Kemeter and Nick Drosnock, the most recent to resign.

"I'm not worried in the least," Fogel said. "I didn't know those technicalities were. But they have nothing to do with any of my thoughts as far as basketball was concerned. Every coach knows when it's time to get out, and I know I'm not ready yet.

"This is my alma mater. The position presented itself, and I figured I'd give it a try. The fact that we have a good set of student-athletes here made the decision easy. This will be a rewarding experience."

Fogel graduated from Nazareth in 1965. He played both football and basketball at the school, helping the Blue Eagles win the old Lehigh-Northam pton League title in both during his senior season.

Fogel graduated from Kutztown State College in 1969, with injuries shortening his athletic career. He then taught for one year in Lehighton before an illness in his family forced his return to Nazareth. He's been teaching in the borough since.

"Today, things are different in athletics," Fogel said. "The era of the 20-year coach is long gone because of changing life- styles. No coach does it for the money, at least not at the high school level.

"People have to be coaches for other reasons. I can't speak for others, but as long as I have enthusiasm, I'll be around. And I'm certain I'll be around a while.

"If anybody thinks I'm here to lose, they're crazy. I've always tried to get ahead in life, and athletics is part of that. It's nice to be looked upon as the best, and Nazareth has done quite a bit of winning."

With Fogel as an assistant to Drosnock last year, the Blue Eagles finished 20-7, won the Colonial League title and finished fourth in the District 11 Class AAA playoffs. The previous season, Drosnock's first, the club went 18-11.

But to maintain Nazareth's winning tradition, Fogel must work hard this season. For he's lost his top three scorers from last year's club.

Sal Calandra has taken his 13-point average and 1,000 career points to Moravian. Craig Klinedinst, who led the club with a 15.0 point average, is attending Roanoke College in Virginia. And Erik Keglovits, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds per game, is starting at Philadelphia Pharmacy.

That leaves only two returning starters - seniors Mike Calandra and Chris Hunt. Calandra, a 5-11 point guard, scored only four points a game last season. Hunt, a 6-2 center, averaged eight points.

"We're going to have to do some different things because of the different personnel," Fogel said. "Some Nazareth trademarks never change. Some defensive things we'll always do, along with some new things.

"We don't have the scorers we had last year. So, we're going to have to spread some things out, get to the foul line more and create our own destiny."